Our Fourth Day.
Wow! I cannot believe it. Were over the hump! More than half way through. Only one day left to go! Seems like it flew by! I am sad it's almost over!!! Camp is so wonderful! We woke up this morning and had a delicious breakfast. Silas seemed a little cranky and a little off but that is to be expected on Day 4...his body it trying to process all the new information and organize the chaos! I diffused Joy and Lemon in our room before we left for tactile and I think it did help some for Silas because he was happy as can be in tactile. We had a gentleman shadowing us today. Really cool story actually...he was here on work (he is a pilot) and today happened to be his only day off. He met one of the therapists while in the pool last night and they started chatting and making small talk. They put two and two together that she was here working as an MNRI core specialists for camp and he just so happened to have a daughter who just turned one with HIE (the same type of brain injury Silas has). So he was able to shadow us today and see what MNRi is all about and what it could do for his daughter! Is that not meant to be! I feel so blessed to have been a part of that and I hope that the family will become involved with this therapy, it sounds like it'd be the perfect fit for her at such a young age where foundational work such as this is key for their brains to heal. If only we could have found MNRI when Silas was that age! Anyway, I just feel so blessed to have had the opportunity for him to be able to shadow our family throughout a day at camp, and the cool part, he was even able to notice the changes Silas had made in just three sessions! The therapists on Silas' team kept giving us praise saying what a wonderful thing it was to let him follow along, it didn't even cross my mind as to ever even say no to letting him follow us, we are here to help not only Silas, but educate ourselves to spread the healing along to others. That's what it's all about.
Silas did great in tactile today, we will definitely miss his tactile therapist, we love her! He stayed on his tummy for quite some time with only s little bit of fussing. He talked back and fourth with Matt for a lot of the session. Those two have a bond like no other. I am so glad that Matt is so present in Silas' life and involved in it all! Even though it is harder for Matt to endure these long days of therapy since his norm is to be at work providing for our family, he is still putting amazing effort in to care for Silas and entertain him through our sessions. he appreciates the small (BIG to us) victories that Silas has made because he knows his son so well!
Silas did awesome in archetype today. Jean was able to get some great work done with him. His was so much less spastic and so much easier to work with today, day and night from when we arrived. Jean was able to get in tucked so well into the fetal position when he then pushes out of it like an infant would when coming out of the womb. That is one of those foundational pieces to his MNRI program. Silas' birth trauma left him in such a state of fear, so its important for him to go back and relive the experience but in a healthy way and the correct way. Silas also spent about 20 or more minutes on his stomach during his session with no complaining! That is hugeeeeee for him to tolerate that! We were blown away. Jean wore her Silas' Saga shirt today too which was a cool little surprise!
Silas and Dada skipped lunch today to get an extra long nap in since we knew he'd probably need it, being Day 4 of intensive therapy and all. I was able to chat with my Mama friends during lunch, it's so great being able to connect with other families. Silas had re-patterning with Tanya after his nap break and started his session off with a nice little present (if you know what I mean! Stunk us out!!!) So glad he got that out of his system though because he was able to have a really amazing and successful session afterword! We did some great work on his hands supporting and STNR which are both huge for crawling, balance, protection, rolling over, etc. During his STNR technique he felt so so loose. Normally I have to hold his little hands down on the table with all my might while Tanya pulls up on him...to keep his hands down! This time I barely had to put any pressure, we felt sooo much different then when we did it the first day of conference. Svetlana came over and of course as usual wowed us with her magical hands! She did a lot of work on Silas' upper body. He is so tight in his armpit area - so tight you have to force him to get his arms to go up above his head, which makes dressing him very tough. Svetlana worked her magic and all of the sudden Silas raised his left arm at his side up over his head ALL ON HIS OWN! What!!! If that wasn't amazing enough she worked on his right side and got it to do the same! Then what did he do!? He raise both arms at once up over his head ad if he were saying "CHAMPION!" So incredible! Never has he ever done that on his own! But wait, there's more magic! Silas was assessed by Svetlana Day 1 of conference. His tested "minus minus" (meaning no reaction, no integration) on his leg cross flexion. Leg cross flexion is tested by stimulating a point in one leg and having the opposite leg flex into a right angle and pull up. So Day 1 Silas had nothing for this reflex (minus, minus). She tested it today and BOTH legs reacted!!!!!! he now has leg cross flexion in both legs!!!! This is huge for crawling, walking, and soooooo important! She told me she needs to change his home program! Because his priority already changed and we haven't even left conference yet!!! Wow! Absolutely mind blowing! That is how fast this method can work! And thats why these intensive conferences are SO important for kiddos with such severe trauma and injury. How she does these things, I have no idea!! Praise also to our amazing cores to work so well with him this conference to get him to these points! I said after to the father shadowing us..."if that doesn't convince you on the method I don't know what will!" I am so glad he was able to witness that amazing moment!
Silas had oral/facial with Lucy and did so incredible. He is just so different this conference than the one in January, tolerating and accepting the therapy so much easier! She again was able to get into his mouth for about 20 minutes! She was able to get to her second knuckle when testing his gag reflex before he reacted! Day one she could get maybe half a knuckle...that means his gag reflex it maturing!!! Huge for eating, handling saliva, and so much more. When she took her finger out of his made he shocked us all when he made his first raspberry noise with his lips!!!! We were all so shocked! I have been trying to get him to do that for two years!!!! Maybe it happened by chance or maybe not, but it was so cool to hear him make that noise independently with his own lips!!! He was just so calm during this session, and talkative, and did soooo well!
Silas had neurostructural after oral/facial and was so talkative and present during his session. This modality is so tough for him too because his brain is trying so hard to fight everything they are trying to integrate. Even they noticed how different he felt, especially his his arms! We told them it was because Svetlana worked her magic!! We had a woman in training working to co-treat him and Silas was still so patient with it all, even the slower pace...which he probably really liked, longer breaks in between techniques! Again he spent a great amount of time on his tummy and did not even scream! By the end of the session it looked like he was melted into the table he was just so relaxed!
Our last session of the day was Basil Ganglia, which is a modality that takes pieces from each program and applies the technique at a much deeper level to reach the basil ganglia part of the brain. SIlas did so so well during this session. He didn't even seem too overtired, that longer nap must have helped him! He did a lot of cool things during this session too including locomotion! This is when he is lying on his side and he picks his head up along with his arm he's laying on and his leg that straight. Hard to explain, but I got down and did it for myself....its tough even for me! I can;y believe he did that! I remember him doing it a little in Orlando, but not like this! He totally loved it too because after he kept doing it. Locomotion is important for so much too, so what a huge accomplishment! What a great ending to our fabulous day of therapy! Just one more day to go!!!! Then back home and onward to San Diego in January for 8days if we can raise the funds!!! We will make it happen even if I have to sell all my belongings!!! Because seriously, this therapy it worth it!